The Rise of an Empire
by Novasix
Summary: His mother, killed by her own hand. His father, killed by the CCG. He was left with nothing but the ashes of a world he once knew and a childhood friend named Eto. Born into everything, forced to loose that privilege, made a fool. Kaneki Ken was ready to be the cause of a new age. An age where the CCG is no more, where ghouls could be free. Ken would bring The Rise Of A New Empire.
1. The Rise Of An Empire - Chapter One:

**DISCLAIMER:**

 **I own neither the characters of Tokyo Ghoul or The plot. All rights go to Ishida Sui~**

* * *

 _ **Chapter One: *****_

* * *

The world and people in it tend to be rather oblivious to the things around them. The same people would be there to witness their eyes being opened by two monsters. Two monsters part of a species better known as ghouls.

Ghouls to people, or humans rather, often can be described in two short words.

 _Blood-Thirsty_

Though humans never really think of the possibility that just maybe those 'blood-thirsty' Ghouls out there had just the same amount of feeling as them. That's where this story begins.

* * *

He had seen _it_.

He hadn't dreamed of _it_ , or even imagined _it_.

He had clearly, with his own two mismatched eyes, seen _it_.

A young boy at the age of 8, with obsidian colored hair hid behind a small pillar, his heterochromatic eyes glued on the sight before him. It was positively rotten, terrible, unbearable! _It_ was a _human!_ A _human_ that didn't even smell good, a _human_ that had been visiting his father for years now. A _human_ that thought that _it_ could replace the _human_ that his mother once was before her death by her own hand.

 _How despicable!_ The boy remember reading said word in a book. His father told him it meant something or someone that deserved hatred.

 _Unorthodox!_ That one came from the dictionary.

 _Just disgusti-_

"-eki! Kaneki! Neki-Chan! Kanuckles! KEN!"

The whisper like shout blew away the thoughts of a dark haired boy and he turned around quickly to come face to face with a not so happy girl, "E-Eto-..." Kaneki trailed off as his gaze slid over to the woman that was now on the move to the upper levels of the house with his father before he let out a very manly 'eep' as he was suddenly grabbed in a surprisingly strong grip.

Kaneki always had liked Eto, who was a girl around his age, maybe a year or two older, with short green hair framing her face and two heterochromatic eyes like his. She didn't smell like the humans that walked in and out of the house daily. She also didn't smell like the ghouls that would occasionally come over to have small 'talks' with his father. Instead she was a perfect blend of both scents, kind of like him.

The eight year old promised himself he'd stay close to Eto the moment he saw that she had eyes like him. One eye of a human while the other burned the red of a ghouls while surrounded by black, though the only difference was that her Kakugan, as his father called it, happened to be on the left while his was on the right (I feel like I messed that up).

He couldn't help the fact that his mood instantly elevated when he saw the other half-ghoul. Though the feeling soon dissipated at the words that left her lips next.

" We've been told to go to the gardens. Preferably under the bunker in the shed."

It was then that the slight rush in her overall tone became evident. Something must be wrong.

Kaneki then began to be dragged, his complaints practically being on mute. They barely reached the outside of the garden before the world that he grew up in went up in flames. A sound that made his ears pop resonated through the air as the house went up in sudden flames.

Kaneki had to keep in a shout. He was positive that his lips was bleeding from the harshness the skin went through as his teeth clenched. His father was still in there…..The woman he didn't like was in there…..The human servants that came in today against the will of his father was in there…..Everyone that made up his world was in that very house. Everyone except Eto. He then noticed that she was still running. Her eyes wide with the need to escape.

The eight year old barely registered the sound of a male, far away, though close enough to be heard with the sharp hearing of ghouls, 'The Mission is a success. The SS rated male ghoul, Crow, has been eliminated. Yes. First Class Investigator Sara has come out unharmed.

. . .

 _Sara was the name of the women I never liked. She was an investigator? The monsters that father warned me about?_

The thoughts of an eight year old half ghoul was soon cut off as everything went black.

* * *

He woke up.

He woke up in a room.

A room that he knew not to be his.

Cold sweat, slowly continued it's stream down into a pair of mismatched eyes, causing a stinging sensation to overtake the male for a split second. He sat up instantly, his eyes sharpened before gritting his teeth together. It had been years since the day that changed everything, 14 years to be exact.

A sigh rippled through him before he stood up, remembering the events of the night before.

* * *

 _In retrospect, it would be hard not to notice a head full of white hair on a man with such a strong aura of power radiating off of him like beams of light from the sun, but then again the people who failed to notice the man were just mere humans._

 _To them he was just some boring kid who looked like he had given up his book grades and spot as class nerd for the bad life of dying hair and painting nails. But to Ghouls they saw one of their own. Someone who wasn't afraid to spill blood to get what they want._

 _They saw a strong leader walking among them, and with respect they had bowed their heads just a few centimeters, another thing that had been neglected by the eyesight of the humans._

 _No human would think that this kid would be a ghoul, with the way he helped others, and spoke in a kind way. No one human would guess that when they had their doors closed, and their covers pulled high that this kind man was doing quite the opposite, and was jumping from building to building, escaping the clutches of yet another Dove._

 _"Damn"_

 _The word slipped through chapped lips, dry from the rushing wind that came strong with each burst forward. White hair stuck to pale skin, soaked with sweat that rolled down in ringlets._

 _This process had been going on for about an hour now, and the one being chased was beginning to tire. Each turn that was taken by the Chasee was rewarded by the Chasers turning and getting right back in speed with the one being chased._

 _Every few minutes a foul word would escape the Chasee's lips, muffled by the leather of the mask._

 _If you hadn't guessed it yet, this was a normal Chase of an Investigator and a ghoul. Though in this case it happened to be two high ranking investigators chasing one male ghoul. Now to humans, this would seem like a normal chase._

 _They would do what was called for and lock their doors, just to sit down on the couch and do nothing further._

 _But to both the ghoul and the investigators, this was no normal chase._

 _For the investigators, this would be a three way victory, if they would get ahold of the male ghoul._

 _Once again, the process started over with a turn. But this time was different. There wasn't another building which meant that both the ghoul and Two investigators were now in the ground, making the investigators have the upper hand._

 _"Shit!"_

 _The curse was louder this time, and the mask could not keep the words from reaching the two investigators ears. This caused the two men to smirk, thinking that they had won and cornered the S rated ghoul. Of course bit would've helped to know that the word had been a signal, but when that had finally occurred to them they were already being knocked out and slung across a large shoulder._

* * *

 _In a coffee shop, not to far from where the 'crime scene' happened just a few days ago, a man with a head full of white hair, sat down at a table across from a girl with a head full of long green tinted hair._

 _They both sported the same book with them and had been reading when the news caught their attention._

 _"Last night, two investigators by the name of Hoji, and Takizawa disappeared after going to pursue the ghoul known as Eye patch"_

 _The new reported stated professionally and two books were put down before she continued._

 _"At the crime scene both weapons were found, both open and in combat mode, no blood was seen at the sight, but some have their suspicions that the two are dead. Due to this incident the ghoul Eyepatch has risen the ranks into an SS ranking ghoul by the CCG._

 _"_

 _You've been busy, haven't you, Kaneki~"_

 _The green haired girl stated, ignoring the stares of others as humans realized that she was the Takatsuki Sen as she spoke quietly in case of the possibility of listeners._

 _The white haired man, known as Kaneki on hummed and turned back to the TV._

 _"Similar attacks have been reported, caused by other ghouls, ranking from A to as high as SS. The CCG has come to conclusion of a new Organization in Tokyo, one where there is no indication of what their goal is, no information on who the leader may be, and no hint as to how dangerous they could be to humankind, though they do have one lead, that Eyepatch is indeed included in this new group."_

 _With that ending statement the need turned over to the weather and the two people turned back to their books, though the green hair girl barely even read the contents for she knew the words she had written, only this time they couldn't help but have matching smirks that you would only be able to see if you were to be looking closely._

* * *

 _Around the same time of the two figures, otherwise known as Kaneki and Eto, were reading five people were sat at a round table, four men and one girl. They all were investigators by the names of, Amon Kotaru, Akira Mado, Juuzo Suzuya, Sonohara, and Marude. They had all had just finished watching the news report and were all a bit curious, save for Juuzo, who didn't give a rats ass and was only here because every now and then he would get a piece of candy from Sonohara for being quiet._

 _Amon was first to speak up,_

 _"Why did we release that much information to the public"_

 _He was a bit tense, already aching for an answer._

 _Akira, his partner, answered his question,_

 _"A ninety eight percent chance shows that at least one member of this supposed new organization has their Tv turned to the news, which means it is likely for them to report back to the group, which lets the ghouls know that we are on to them, if we see a change in the way they usually do things, such as more caution with attacks then we'll be able to tell that there is in fact an Organization and from there we'll have a lead to start investigating without the excuse that it's just a whim"_

 _Hums of agreement went around the table, once again save for Juuzo who still didn't care about anything except for the candy that was being given._

 _They concluded their meeting after calculating that the next attack was to happen in one week and after that one week they would meet again to discuss whether or not an organization was in fact to problem._

 _Little did they know that just a few days before they had been having their own meeting another one was being prepared to be held in due time. Though this one included ghouls and two tied up investigators that seemed to be in a very tight predicament._

* * *

Kaneki was snapped out of it by a pair of arms wrapping around his neck, small hands covering his already closed eyes, "Guess who~"

A smile seemed to twitch his lips upwards before he turned around to face the intruder with green hair that was pulled into a messy bun.

"Eto-"

The girl only grinned, though through the playfulness an edge of sadism was still present, "You cheated…"

Kaneki only stared before pushing back the covers and standing up, not even giving a bristle at the cold floor. He couldn't really say that he was embarrassed that he was here standing in practically nothing but a pair of underwear in front of Eto. They had grown up together and by now he was just used to it.

"I didn't. I simply guessed the answer in my head before turning to check"

Kaneki spoke in a tone that was nearly emotionless as he headed towards the built in restroom,

"Now...did you come in here with news?"

Somehow, even as he closed the door, stripped and stepped under boiling water he managed to feel the smirk that made it's way to the author's face,

"Well. Our friends have finally woken up. They're staying at Yamori's old playroom under Naki's house."

That small fact made Kaneki's eyes widen as he stepped out of the shower after a few minutes, wrapped a towel around his waist and headed towards his closet,

"I trust that you've used your own organization's connections to make sure that we could pay them a little visit without being caught or followed?"

He left the bathroom and looked over at her, giving a nod at her over confident smirk, though I'm sure others (aka humans) would see it as a genuine smile. Ah humans what an idiotic species.

"I suppose we shall be going now?"

Eto hummed in agreement before rocking on her feet and slipping out of the room, "Give me just a second to get all dolled up~ I expect that lunch, because yes it's noon already, will be taken care of you?"

Just an hour later, the rather odd pair was walking down the street, cooked (So it looked more human) ghoul meat in their hands as they both complained about the taste only to eat more. Well, try to eat more. Eto would have to have Kaneki reposition the bandages covering her body every now and then to do two things. One: Eat and Two: Make sure the bandages were clean.

It was finally time for these two investigators to be put into place on the game board. Though first things first. It was time for Introductions~

* * *

 **AND HERE IS THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE RESTARTED STORY.**

As you can see a lot changed (For the better I might add). I've finally gotten the inspiration for this story and I pretty much know where this is heading and how it might end.

NEXT CHAPTER SNEAK PEEKS:

* * *

A little ways far from the city sat a rather average styled house. The paint on the outside shined a while against red, the door having some flecks chipping away. Neighbors weren't around for miles which tended to be a good thing due to the company there.

Both Kaneki and Eto stood in the doorway, eyes staring at the scene before them in either amusement or slight horror.

There in front of them was Naki, a sidekick in all honesty to his 'Big Bro' Yamori, or Jason as he's more known, in absolutely nothing save for the frilly 'Kiss The Cook' apron on. In his hand was a rather large chunk of raw meat that he didn't seem to be eating.

Yamori was nowhere to be found.

Another person happened to be there though. A woman who sat, legs crossed, as she read one of the latest Takatsuki Sen books. Long purple hair framed her face perfectly along with her red glasses that were obviously narrower and smaller than Eto's own red ones.

Rize Kamishiro, Otherwise known as The Binge Eater, casually looked up and slapped on a smile,

"I'm guessing we're ready to go and see our guest?"

She bowed her head towards Kaneki a bit in respect before standing from her place lounging on the couch.

The group of three (Not counting Naki, because he wouldn't be going in) slipped into the other half of the house, walking up to a wall.

Kaneki reached forward and watched as his hand was pricked on the flat wall before it began to shift into a door. Eto was the one to push open the door.

They all walked down the dark hall, feet hitting the soil covered ground as Eto hummed a happy tune that only she seemed to know, skipping down the steps in a quick fashion.

With one last turn the group couldn't help the small smirks that dawned their faces at the sight before them.

NEXT CHAPTER COMING SOON...


	2. The Rise Of An Empire - Chapter Two:

**This is really late and if I'm honest I've just been procrastinating before coming to the conclusion that I should've never posted this if I wasn't going to actually update so without further ado I give you the next chapter/**

* * *

The air had dampened considerably since the incident including the two investigators. The sky had gone from a bright blue during the morning, to a clouded gray as the afternoon made it's way around. The rain had begun to fall in soft ringlets, hitting the wood of the building that everything would take place in.

Little ways from the city sat a rather average styled house. The paint on the outside shined a white against red, the door having some flecks chipping away. Neighbors weren't around for miles which tended to be a good thing due to the company there.

Both Kaneki and Eto stood in the doorway, eyes staring at the scene before them in either amusement or slight horror. They couldn't even decide what would be the more proper reaction.

There in front of them was Naki, a sidekick in all honesty to his 'Big Bro' Yamori, or Jason as he's more known, in absolutely nothing save for the frilly 'Kiss The Cook' apron on. In his hand was a rather large chunk of raw meat that he didn't seem to be eating.

Yamori was nowhere to be found.

Another person happened to be there, though. A woman who sat, legs crossed, as she read one of the latest Takatsuki Sen books. Long purple hair framed her face perfectly along with her red glasses that were obviously narrower and smaller than Eto's own red ones.

Rize Kamishiro, Otherwise known as The Binge Eater, casually looked up and slapped on a smile,

"I'm guessing we're ready to go and see our guest?"

She bowed her head towards Kaneki a bit in respect before standing from her place lounging on the couch. She saw no reason to address the lack of clothing on the blond-haired ghoul who had also taken a bow at the sight of Kaneki.

The group of three (Not counting Naki, because he wouldn't be going in) slipped into the other half of the house, walking up to a wall.

Kaneki reached forward and watched as his hand was pricked on the flat wall before it began to shift into a door. Eto was the one to push open the door.

They all walked down the dark hall, feet hitting the soil covered ground as Eto hummed a happy tune that only she seemed to know, skipping down the steps in a quick fashion.

With one last turn, the group couldn't help the small smirks that dawned their faces at the sight before them.

The place in front of them was simple at best. The walls were wooden, already showing signs of both decaying and molding as it did it's best to block out the sobs of those who had the pleasure of being in the room.

The ground of the place had no real floor and was instead replaced with damp, slightly tinted soil. Tinted with both the blood and tears of past victims.

Standing, or rather sitting in front of them were the two investigators that seemed to be the prime talk of the town. Even as they were barely dressed and dirtied from the soil and dust around them they still held onto whatever dignity that had left over.

Well, to be honest, one held onto their dignity.

Kousuke Houji. A Special Class investigator and partner to his shaking companion, Takizawa Seidou, spoke no words as he sat strapped to a broken chair.

The only recognition he gave was the slight dip of his eyebrow upon seeing the three new people, each sporting some type of mask like feature.

The first he could identify with no problem. Standing to the right of the only male who wasn't in a chair was the infamous Binge Eater. The mask that she sported tended to be one of the larger giveaways as the black material faded into a dark indigo. A single 'B' was laid out in the corner. She stood in a bored manner as if she could be doing something much better with her time.

The next was easy. The newly discovered ghoul, Eyepatch, due to the snarling dark mask that covered only one of his eyes. His posture was probably the strangest if Houji had to give an opinion. It was almost as if he was holding back in a way. The Investigator shook away his curiosity and turned his eyes towards the last ghoul in the room.

He couldn't place the new ghoul exactly other than from a few sightings from earlier raids. A dull flash of someone in a similar style sticking close to Tatara came and went though the idea was quickly shot down.

That particular ghoul was in Aogiri and the records showed that they were 'A Rank' at best. The power he felt from this person was almost enough to have a pool of dread spiral down into his stomach.

These are the things that Houji took notice of while Takizawa missed. At this moment Takizawa was blinded by the fear he felt. Sure he could kill a couple of ghouls, but what did that matter when he was tied up, without a weapon, and right in front of three powerful ghouls. Sweat rolled down in beads, stopping to hang on his chin before dripping onto the ground or his already dirtied pants. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed the little amount of spit that he currently had. Even an idiot would be able to tell that things were not looking so good for the two investigators.

Houji was snapped out of his thoughts upon the sounds of footsteps coming towards him.

Eyepatch.

The ghoul stared down at him, orbs full of nonchalance though the icy glare of hate wasn't hard to miss if one were to look close enough, "Where are the CCG keeping the most dangerous of the ghouls?"

Cochlea had been taken down and put out of business after the last Aogiri raid and with its demise, all of the ghouls were transported to another facility. One that no ghoul that Kaneki sent out could find.

Houji kept his eyes trained on the male, not letting a word through while Takizawa went on to bite his lip harshly to keep quiet. He soon lost to the fight as words burst from his dried lips, "As if we'd tell Ghoul scum like you information." His voice wavered as he shook and in the last attempt to be threatening he gathered all the spit that he could and spit on Eyepatch, which successfully made it to his mask. Takizawa felt one small victory before the weight of his actions fell on top of him. His shoulders slumped in fear.

Everything was quiet for a second before a feminine laugh rang through the room. All attention was on the unknown ghoul as Eyepatch wiped the spittle from his leather mask in slight annoyance. "Oh come on, did anyone think that it was funny?" The She-Ghoul said, amusement and childlike innocence clear in her voice. Of course that only lasted for a second before her voice dropped into a dangerous tone, "Of course we'll need to train our little pets to make sure they don't act out once more~"

The split-second change was even enough to make goosebumps appear on Rize's arms upon hearing it.

Kaneki's fingers twitched as he made up his mind on an unspoken idea.

From then on things changed. He clicked his tongue and Takizawa was released from his bindings.

He fell from his chair and onto the dirt, confusion written on his face. What was really going on here?

He stared down at the ground for what seemed like forever until he was shaken out of it by a loud yell. His head whipped around, body freezing and muscles tensing at the sight before him. The arm of Houji fell to the ground, blood dripping down from the wound in large quantities.

The red flash of Kaneki's Kagune retracting from his partner's side left no question as to who could've done it.

His face twisted as he watched, stomach acids threatening to spill out. Though it wasn't just the blood and the screams that made him want to throw up. It was the small guilty part of himself that found pleasure in the fact that it wasn't him.

His eyes widened to the size of saucers as he admitted that to himself. He was happy that it wasn't him. He was ecstatic to be the lucky one who didn't have to go through that. He was- NO! He shouldn't feel that way. He shook his head, fingers moving the pull at the brown locks, successfully pulling some strands away. His eyes were wide open but saw nothing. They held color, but no meaning as he slumped over, letting the contents of his stomach out onto the dirt below him.

Slowly the world seemed more and more black and white. Kill or be Killed became the only thoughts that he understood.

"Say, you don't want to die, right?"

Just like that the world became colorful once more, the vibrant colors becoming almost painful for the man as feminine arms wrapped around his torso to drop a weapon of metal into his hands.

"Do you see the world as a cruel place now? Do you want your friend to die? Are you glad it's not you?"

The questions were endless and ran on without room for an answer though it mattered not because Takizawa could only hear the voice of a bandaged angel when he heard such questions. For this angelic voice gave him the answers to everything.

"Or maybe you want to save him? Why don't you just kill the big bad ghoul?"

A broken laugh burst from his throat as the male shakily pulled himself onto his feet. Yes. This was the answer to everything. Just kill the ghoul with this knife. Everything will be better after that. Yes, Yes, Yes, YES! And if not then he'd just have to kill everyone there!

With every thought, the man became more broken, a shell of who he once was. His sight became more clouded for he did not think about how a kitchen knife wouldn't kill a ghoul. That fact easily slipped his mind as he let a grin curl his lips. The dry skin cracking as letting just a bit of blood drip down and he raised his hands and let the knife sink into flesh.

It took three seconds for the childish laugh of Eto to fill the room as she made her way over to Kaneki.

Five seconds for Takizawa to pull the knife from flesh and drop the metal onto the ground.

Seven seconds to step back and fall.

Ten seconds for him to notice his instructor and partner dead from a single stab wound to the chest.

And Eleven seconds for Takizawa Seidou to scream until his lungs bursts.

* * *

The time he spent screaming was unknown to him as what he did came into light. How could he have fallen for something like that? How could he believe that a simple knife would pierce the ghoul. No… He had known it wouldn't. Deep down, even if he didn't want to admit it, he knew that he wanted to live. He _knew_ that he was glad that it was Houji that was dead and not him.

He felt rotten just thinking about it. Houji wouldn't have done it. Houji had taught him to be a better person. He had taught him that in situations such as this it was best to stay strong. To not waver and let basic instincts such as to leave you colleagues take over.

* * *

When he first began working with Houji, Takizawa knew from the very start that Houji would always have his back. He never for one moment thought that Houji wouldn't protect him, wouldn't help him, wouldn't be there for him. This belief didn't even waver when he sat blindfolded, the raw fear nestled in the back of his throat like a parasite refusing to leave. Even then, he thought that there was a way.

But as the torture began, Takizawa wasn't so sure anymore. The violent screams and bitter cries, the bone-chilling images of bright red blood spilling everywhere. It made the parasite called Fear go numb.

 _Save yourself._

 _Save yourself._

 _Save yourself._

He screamed these words in his head like a repeated mantra, trying to convince himself that it was the right idea. He clung to them the way an infant would his mother. He thought them as he brandished the knife and delivered the final blow.

Takizawa always thought Houji would have his back. He just never thought he would turn his on Houji's.

Now staring at the dead body, his eyes dull, he felt something snap. With shaking hands, he gripped the bloodied knife once more and stood on unstable knees.

His head turned towards the ghouls, face wet with tears and dirtied with mucus and soil. With a roar he lurched forward, trying to hurt the monsters.

His screams pierced the air as he sloppily slashed forward. The sound was torn, a mixture of bitter laughter and happy tears.

Kaneki stealthily dodged, his face blank.

Takizawa felt the anger bubble up in his chest as Kaneki didn't reveal a teaspoon of emotion. "Feel the pain," he growled, "suffer. _Rot._ " Takizawa's own voice felt foreign to even him.

He ran forward, light on his feet, and his blade kissed Kaneki's skin. The sweet, sultry sound of flesh tearing was nearly orgasmic to Takizawa and he couldn't help but moan and laugh.

"More pain," he begged.

"Look at you," Kaneki spat through his words sat nearly on a nonchalant tone, he had to ignore that shine in Takizawa's eyes that reminded him of himself the day the estate had gone up in flames, "you're like a heroin addicted pig in need of a fix."

Takizawa grunted and stumbled forward again. Kaneki caught the man's arm, which was raised high in order to deliver more stabs, and twisted it back. Takizawa shrieked as he heard a sickening _crack!_

"Look at yourself," Kaneki hissed. "You're rabid. Sickening. Disgusting. Eyes wide and beady, skin cold with sweat, and teeth caked with blood. Which on one of us is the real monster here?"

Takizawa screamed and tried to lash out, only to fall to his stomach. Kaneki swooped down and pulled Takizawa up by the collar before slamming him against the wall. "Do you not like being held like this?" he asked as he pushed down on Takizawa's broken arm. "Do you want me to kill you? Are you angry?" he hissed into the male's ear.

Takizawa's body rippled before falling limp in Kaneki's hold, he could no longer push his body to fight anymore. He shook and sobbed, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"...You'll always be the monster in a world like this-" Takizawa's voice was broken, cracking in strain as the raw feeling from the screams he released dawned on him.

Kaneki released him. Takizawa fell to his knees and hid behind his hands. He looked through his fingers at Kaneki only to see that there was not a drop of blood on him. His clothes were torn from where the blade had cut. Takizawa had been so positive that Kaneki had been wounded. But his mind was broken, the mirror of reality shattered, and the tunnel to madness was open.

Eto hummed at the sight and bounced over to Kaneki's side. She had stepped away for a short while when Takizawa had attacked. Despite the rush that had come to her upon seeing the action she felt that her time to stretch her muscles would come later.

A second was taken for all of the ghouls to look down at the fallen investigator. He'd need just a few more pushes until he would be born into Kaneki's plans though that'd be brought upon by a different ghoul. The current group's playtime was over.

Just like that the three ghouls made their way up the stairs. The dull thud of shoes against the upstairs floor made it clear that 'Jason' had returned home.

Kaneki pushed the door open once more, not even wincing at the bite that always happened.

Naki was dressed at this moment of time and took a deep bow while muttering something about 'Kaneki and Big bro Yamori' being the only people he respected enough to bow to. That part had Eto giggling at Kaneki's side.

Yamori came next and dipped his head a fraction to show respect though the large curling of his lips into a grin at the sight of one of his leader's clothes was enough informed anyone watching that he wasn't like another mindless follower

Kaneki had to resist the urge to roll his eyes and he spoke of his and Eto's departure for the day.

Eto stopped on her way out of the door behind Kaneki, "Oh you have a new toy, 'Jason'. Don't kill him though we need him alive. Also, You can throw the other body into the lake with his arm. We want to CCG to find him"

With that, she skipped away to follow behind Kaneki on their way back home. Halfway there she perked up at the sudden remembrance that they had to make a quick stop to a certain coffee shop after getting changed.

* * *

 ***One week later in the CCG***

"Stab wound to the heart," a man said, "a declaration of war. The ghouls didn't eat him, not one scavenged his remains, they didn't eat him alive. They killed Houji. They're mocking us," he boomed.

"And if it wasn't a ghoul?" someone demanded.

"What else would it have been, the Fairy Fucking Godmother?"

Insults were thrown back and forth, yelling across the room, threats. "None of us are safe! As long as ghouls exist, no one is safe. War hasn't begun, people, war has been going on, but we've all been too blind to see it! This is a wake-up call. This is a sign that we aren't as strong as we could be, that we aren't forever. Ghouls are the Gods and we are the worshippers, bending our backs and giving up our lives so they can eat. I say we trample the Gods, put an end to them. And I bet you anything that they're connected to the recent string of brutal murders. Ghouls are vicious. Soulless. Our wives, husbands, and children are not safe, our partners and parents will not be able to truly be free until every single ghoul is eradicated from this world. Death to the false gods!"

"Death to the false gods!" everyone chanted in reply.

* * *

 **AND WE'VE FINISHED THE NEXT CHAPTER!/**

 **SNEAK PEAK OF THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

"Tsusuka Igarashi. Age, 27, male, blah, blah, blah..." She threw the file down at the man's feet. "Can you do it?" she asked with a grin.

Takizawa pulled his body closer, his weak arm cradled close to his side and sloppily covered with a makeshift cast. His breath was ragged, his cheeks pale. "Why him?" he asked.

"He's been giving information to the CCG. So, answer the question. Can you do it?"

He swallowed a thick lump in his throat, raising a hand to pick at his lips and peel away some of the soft flesh. A bad habit that he had seemed to pick up. "I'm-I'm so hungry." His voice was dull, and he spoke as if he had yet to hear the words she had spoken.

She laughed and knelt down beside him, careful not to ruin her pretty, white silk dress. "If you say you can, maybe I'll get you some scraps."

She cocked her head. "No?"

He remained silent after speaking once.

She 'tsk'ed and stood. "If you change your mind, give a good scream," she purred as she walked out, shutting and bolting the door as she went.

* * *

 **Also to answer a question: Kaneki _is_ around 22, but usually at this age, he's in college which is why I added the school part. Now for the 'Boy' for some reason ( In my experience), older people seem to call people younger than them Boy (or girl) and things like that in some situations. So what the sentence was saying in the last chapter was that on the outside he seemed to be a regular human 'boy' who gave up his grades to look the part of a rebellious person. /**


	3. The Rise of an Empire - Chapter 3

NOTE: Normal Text is the story!!! Italic text is a flashback!!!! 'Italics with quotations is a thought' In a flashback "This is speaking" !!!!

So just so you know A LOT happens in this chapter so if you have questions feel free to ask them!

Time: 4:07 in the afternoon

The streets seemed empty now of days, the howl of the wind and the few steps of those who dared to come outside the only noise in most areas.

News on ghoul attacks and stories revolving around missing persons was just enough to have everyone locking their doors and having food delivered instead of going out to actually buy it themselves.

The threat of ghouls was only becoming a much greater factor to everyone.

Who could be in that alleyway?

Who could that man be who was begging for a ride?

Did we really even know anything?

Suspicion was an edge that no one could have the luxury of giving up in times like this.

Despite the emptiness around, it was a fairly normal day if you were to ignore the small veil of fear that covered the city. Some could say that with how tense everyone outside was, they were expecting the loud wails of the emergency alarms going off.

In a world without ghouls, maybe the alarm could have meant an attack or even an earthquake. Sadly for humans, this wasn't the world free of the species.

The alarm screamed one thing to everyone and in a flash, people were running.

A ghoul attack.

Hours before the attack

The thick scent of penetrated flesh filled Kaneki's senses as his body took in a dark substance. His lungs were contracting and expanding at a quick rate and beads of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

His hair was damp and colored in a salt and pepper fashion, more stands leaning more towards their original obsidian color than the currently awkward chunks of white locks.

He was scared.

It wasn't an emotion that he liked even a little and even now he felt the bug called fear swell up inside of him like a disease.

It was simply distasteful.

"Stop the program"

The cold voice of the head scientist filled the room and Kaneki's knees gave. He fell as far as the tubes inserted into his body would allow and his muscles screeched for a moment of relaxation.

Mismatched eyes were wide, one sclera completely black with a red center.

"Sir, the program finished before you could give the signal. The operation was a success and the data is mind blowing"

The rest of the words were blurred together as Kaneki's stomach churned. Something about him being one of the first successful subjects was spoken and he released a small groan. His eyesight spun and even in his bad moments he thought of how different this situation would be if he had stuck to his promise and stayed with Eto.

For a split second his mind wavered between consciousness. He should've never tried to attack the facility on his own. It only had placed him in a path of human brought pain.

He duly heard a mumbling of man, probably one of the tortures, saying to start everything again. Saying that this could be the breakthrough that makes them if they perfected this.

It hadn't even occurred to him that he was choking up chucks of human flesh as he was shoved back and strapped back up to some of the tubes that had come undone.

"RC suppression test finished and flushed out of the system. Phase one complete."

The sound of a mechanical voice reached Kaneki's ears and his fingers twitched.

'If only Eto were here.'

"Starting the liquid Kakuja project now"

The whirring of a machine starting up somewhere in the room.

'If only I had kept my promise.'

"Phase two starting."

'If only'

'If OnLy'

'IF ONLY'

Kaneki's eyes went wide and his back arched as once again the tubes filled with a black substance and the liquid was pushed into the area just above his own Kagune.

A sting on his cheek brought him from his nightmare and panic settled in. He tensed and in a second he was flipping the assailant over and preparing to attack.

Eyes opened to stare into a pair opposite of his own and Kaneki visibly relaxed at the sight of Eto. His pupils were still dilated and he had yet to release his grip from Eto's hand. Out of the kindness of her heart and her will to keep things from getting worse she refrained from forcefully removing herself.

"You had the nightmare again, right?" Her eyes twitched over to the freshly out half kakuja that had made itself present due to Kaneki's fear. The appendage wasn't red like his original one. Instead, it was armored and shined a darkened purple, legs twitching.

Eto duly thought of the irony that it looked like a centipede as she recalled a past memory. A memory of the two ghouls as children, playing outside while being watched by their parents. They had been to young to notice that their parents had been so tense because they had been on the lookout for any investigators. They had occupied themselves with searching for cool looking bugs. Eto had found a centipede and had reveled in that action of chasing a screaming Kaneki around with the arthropod.

The green haired woman snapped out of thoughts and paid attention to the male above her that was beginning to scowl.

Eto's question was a simple one, but it always seemed to hit a raw nerve with Kaneki every time it happened.

He rolled off of the bed with a growl, refraining from snapping a short answer. If there was one thing that he hated the most it'd have to be how that particular dream could bother him so much.

Eto watched as Kaneki began walking and her eyes narrowed as the Rinkaku dissipated. She rolled out of the bed and grabbed the younger ghoul, effortlessly pulling and pushing him back onto the bed. She was starting to tire of this happening every time he had to talk about that dream.

"I dislike when you attempt to avoid your problems. It makes you sloppy and that's not something we can afford today. We have plans and you have to have clear mindset today. Aogiri isn't one to make deals with weak and distracted leaders."

Eto's words nearly sounded cold as she looked down at Kaneki who had shifted on the bed and opened his mouth the make a snide comment before closing it once more. That faster he got it together and complied with Eto, the faster this would go.

Eto had made herself comfortable sitting on Kaneki's stomach as she looked down at him, "Now tell me about your dream"

Near boiling water fell onto snow white hair as Kaneki silently stood under the shower. The time with Eto had taken longer than he had expected and now after an hour he was finally getting ready.

His fingers subconsciously brushed against just the top of his Kagune and his eyes flashed before he clenching his hand into a fist and resting his head against the shower wall.

The sudden rush of anger made even him confused. Though it had been expected. He always ended up angry when he acknowledged the weapon that the CCG had pushed into him.

The dream, or rather memory really, was fresh in his mind. The phantom of fear still wrapped around his thoughts as he slipped out of the shower and dried himself up. He took a second to stare into the large mirror and he gave a sigh, the simple sound coated in distaste as he noticed the scars, albeit how little and pale they were. They were another sign of how weak he had been in the past.

Grabbing clothes was his next course of action and before another minute had passed he was pulling on a pair of black dress pants and a dark maroon colored dress shirt. Obsidian black dress shoes donned his feet and next came the equally black embroidered eyepatch.

The clothing choice surprisingly matched Eto's when he walked out and the slight curl of her lips signaled that she knew exactly why. The she-ghoul had sported a long maroon dress and black flats and could have easily passed for the innocent rich author she was seen as if not for the dark sadistic glint in her gaze. She was obviously excited for what was to come.

She held out a hand for Kaneki to take and was dragging him out of the front door towards the sleek car that had only been a gift from a certain flamboyant ghoul just a few weeks back.

Pulling up to the looming building, the pair felt an air of tenseness flush through the air. It had only taken them ten minutes at most to arrive at their destination though even with the short amount of time passing both were beyond restless.

A familiar flash of short, neatly styled purple hair flashed in the corner of Kaneki's eyes and as the car came to a stop the smiling face of Tsukiyama Shuu came into view. Kaneki stepped out of the vehicle, Eto in tow and said nothing as a man hopped into the car and drove away to park.

{•}"Bonjour mon ami~" Shuu's voice carried through the foyer as he led both Eto and Kaneki into the large done up building. Kaneki only offered an ever so small smile to the ghoul and followed behind him, his arm wrapped securely around Eto's waist as they went.

A few people, humans obviously, stopped to look at the trio is curiosity. After all it wasn't everyday that you saw the owner of the business walking with a famous writer and a male who looked as if he could be a model. The people who noticed the author quickly took out their phones and attempted to discreetly take a picture. Eto had to cover the smirk donning her face at the fact by burying her face in Kaneki's arm. From the outside it'd appear as if the green haired woman was hiding her face in shy embarrassment, but to those who knew the two would easily be able to tell that it was the exact opposite.

The small group of ghouls finally stopped upon getting to a particular room and Tsukiyama gave a small smirk, his lips twitching in amusement, "Your room has already been prepared, Monsieur, Mademoiselle" He held out a keycard and Eto easily snatched the piece of plastic before Kaneki could even move a finger, "I've always wanted to use one of these!" Eto's voice was childish, an unrehearsed play made due to the sudden arrival of a group of businessmen heading down the hall for a lunch break. She held the card against the lock and gave one more grin before slipping through the door and closing it behind her.

Kaneki nodded his head towards Shuu, "I'm sure it's only the best, my friend" He spoke happily, ignoring the inquisitive looks that the men passing by gave.

Tsukiyama bowed with a grin, "The pleasure's mine" With that he turned and began heading towards the end of the hall, "I've personally made sure that all of your necessities are present" His indigo eyes flashed and with that he was pressing the golden clad button and stepping into the elevator.

"This is sure to be interesting…" The purple haired ghoul muttered loud enough just for Kaneki to hear before the elevator doors closed and he went on his way.

Kaneki shook his head at the others words before turning to enter the room that he'd be sharing. His shoulders dropped the second he had touched the door handle and noticed it was locked. A dull memory of Eto slipping into the room and giving him a wink made a sigh ripple through his throat and he moved to lean against the wall. Eto was sure to let him back in at some point. Hopefully.

Eto had changed in her short time being in the room. Her and Kaneki had already brought a case of clothes here before they had even booked the room which made it easier for her to slip out of the dress and put on a comfy pair of shorts. In her hand was a phone, Kaneki's phone to be specific, though the only worthwhile point of information was who happened to be on the other side.

The voice of the Binge eater sounded on the speaker and Eto smiled.

"You're saying that you want to place all of our bets on a half baked ghoul that can't even finish a sentence at this point?!" Rize asked, incredulous.

This only caused Eto to nod her head and speak upon realizing that the other couldn't exactly see her,

"Look, this is Kaneki's own plan and I don't think he'd appreciate you going against it." Eto's voice was harsh despite the smile on her face as she moved towards the door and opened it, waving a hand as Kaneki entered the room and raised a brow at her new choice of clothing.

A sigh could be heard on the other line before Rize agreed, "I'll have him ready in five" She didn't wait before cutting the phone off.

Eto tossed the phone onto the black couch that sat a few feet away and her lips curled into a small smirk, "Phase one has been put into motion~" She grinned and bounded over to the couch that she had tossed the phone onto.

Kaneki had to contain his own smirk as he moved towards his own previously packed case in order to change into some more casually styled clothes.

With Rize - Time : 3:40 in the afternoon

Small heels clicked against the ground, the noise bouncing off of the walls easily. The musty smell of sweat mixed with blood filled the corridor and Rize grimaced. The she-ghoul honestly couldn't wait until this part of Kaneki's plan, no matter how stupid it is, was finished. She wouldn't have to walk through these horrid halls afterwards.

Rize stopped in front of a small cell and knelt down, her silk white skirt framing around her and miraculously keeping it's clean color, "Oh dear," she tilted her head while her lips danced into an amused grin, "Looks like Yamori did quite the number on you"

In front of her sat, or rather slumped, Takizawa Seidou. Or at least what used to be him. Staring vacantly ahead was the shell of what a man used to be. Now in that man's place was a hollowed out space filled to the brim with the ghoul instinct to kill.

Delicate hands, painted with purple nail polish reached forward and touched the bars, "Oi, I've heard from a very talkative birdy that you're needed"

Takizawa didn't move.

Rize huffed and stood from her current position. She could never play her games of suspension with the guy now that he had been broken. She opened her mouth once more, "Kaneki has a job for you to do."

At the mention of 'Kaneki' Takizawa, or at least who he used to be, perked up and his dry lips moved upwards. A sound similar to a growl attempted to leave his dried throat and Rize moved to unlock the cell, "He finally wants you to be free, you know" Her smirk was back as she pulled back the door and watched as the cloak covered male stumbled out of the cell and onto the ground.

She wrapped her arms around him and discreetly led him towards the exit of the place, having one hand over his eyes as she spoke, "He wants you to go out and be yourself. He said you can paint everything red and eat it all!"

Takizawa pulled at his lip, his ear twitching slightly at her words. His tongue darted out and licked up the blood that had slipped from the crack of his skin due to the pulling. He reveled in the disgusting taste. The words coming from the woman were like a gift and he did his best to keep up with her steps. Kaneki wanted him to be free. Kaneki wanted him to let loose. Kaneki wanted him to be himself unlike what the CCG had wanted.

Rize finally pushed the door open and slipped out of a small door, arriving in the back of an alleyway. She looked to the side before removing her hand from Takizawa's face, discreetly wiping the possible germs off on her blue jacket. Her amusement could easily be heard, "Well Go Crazy"

It was then that Takizawa realized that the alleyway they were in was the back of one of the CCG's facilities.

Takizawa's grin stretched his face and flashes of torture and words flew through his mind. He took one step forward and didn't even register that Rize had disappeared before he struck. Kaneki's voice filled his head, telling him exactly what to do and when to avoid people who would be able to tell who he was. He hopped to the side and his arms reached out and grabbed the nearest person. His mouth opened wide and he bit down.

The alarms began ringing and that's when Takizawa made his quick leave.

The CCG was in an uproar at this point in time.

Calls came in from every line, people either ordering that the CCG work harder or begging them to patrol outside of their house. However, this wasn't about the ramblings of civilians, this was about what was happening just a few halls down.

"We've got the streets lined with investigators and no one has seen a damned thing except for the remains of a few corpses!" Marude slapped his hand against the table, causing the wood to raddle. His face was red and he pushed himself out of the chair, "You can't even tell who the people even is anymore!" He flipped a switch and the lights went out.

The screen in front of them quickly powered up and on it, the picture of a mauled beyond recognizable corpse. A few more pictures showed up, showing nothing but a darkly colored blur and a few more distorted corpses. Amon clenched his jaw and the lights were on a second later.

"How do you think this makes us look?!" Marude's voice sounded once and he fell into his seat.

Akira Mado was the first to speak up. She had her own curiosities on the current case and she was adamant on giving her points, "If I may, isn't it just a bit strange that the attack only seemed to be based around a certain house." Her eyes narrowed slightly at the looks she got from her colleagues. She stood from her chair and headed towards a board. Next came the map that she had previously had sitting in her lap and she pinned it to the surface. The map was riddled with circles, lines and x's.

"At first glance it looks like the attacks were centered towards the CCG but if you look at where the corpses were they all connect to form a circle around a particular house. A house that I've already done my research on. It seems to belong to a famous horror story author." She placed a finger on a large X and looked at the others, "It also happens that she just so happened to be out of the house at the time of the attack."

If it were possible, Marude's face grew even redder, "You want me to believe that in order to solve our problems we need to arrest an author that I don't even know?!"

Anyone else probably would've flinched at the males tone, Akira only stared blankly at him and waited for him to finish before speaking, "My intuition is telling me that something connects to that house and it has to do with ghouls. "

Marude looked over at the chart, his jaw clenching. At this point he was desperate. Hell, the whole CCG was desperate. Plus, a lead was technically a lead.

"What do you think you're going to do? You can't just wander into the house without a warrant."

Akira had already planned this all out, "That's why we'll be going straight to the author herself. "

The one-eyed-owl. One of the most feared ghouls known to the CCG and presumed leader of the Ghoul organization, Aogiri could be found in their den for once, attending a very dire meeting pertaining the merging of two growing organizations.

Eto stood behind Kaneki, clad in bandages and a burgundy cloak as she rocked from side to side in an eager fashion.

In front of her, Kaneki sat at a table, sporting his usual dark clothing and keeping his mask placed on the table in front of him. Directly across the table stood a man of Chinese background, with white hair and red eyes. He went by the name of Tatara, and was the main executor under the owl who'd be speaking to Kaneki about the merging plans. His eyes slid over to Eto and he kept himself from raising an eyebrow before speaking,

"What makes you think that Aogiri would like to include itself with a organization such as yours?"

The question was one of the few things that caused Kaneki to smirk, albeit it being a small one, "I've decided that Aogiri could gain some of the resources my organization provides." He fished a small bunch of pictures and handed them to Eto who happily bounded over to Tatara with them in tow.

A few minutes passed with the Chinese ghoul inspecting the images before giving a small nod, "So the alarm that happened earlier today was due to you testing out your little experiment? " Kaneki hummed in affirmation and Tatara set the pictures down, "I trust you'll have no problem with me witnessing your little pet in the flesh then..." He trailed off, letting the statement hang in the air.

Kaneki heard Eto let out a small hum as he moved his head in a nod, "I have no problem at all, but seeing how you have no other problems with the plans I'll take it as an agreement that our groups have been officially merged until one sees no reason to be anymore." He stood from his seat and raised a hand, "I believe I've taken enough of your time for now, so I'll be in touch very soon."

His fingers twitched and, to Tatara's slight surprise, Eto bounded over to follow Kaneki out of the door, leaving the Aogiri executive to ponder what the relationship was between the two one-eyes.

S n e a k p e a k a t n e w c h a p t e r:

Anteiku.

A safe haven for all ghouls alike and the main area of focus.

The building was fairly an average size for a cafe, with the slight adjustments of having a second floor available to the staff. The coloring seemed to be similar on both the inside and out, being a lighter brown shade with highlights of a darker, more rich, one.

Today the known coffee shop had decided to stay open later than usual for the mere sake of having something to do to end the boredom that was filling the area.

Kaneki and Eto Stood at the door, just having changed from the clothing that had been ruined in the battle only moments before.

Kaneki had abandoned his dark clothes for a lighter approach, a white dress shirt tucked into a pair of grey suit pants. He would've gone for jeans, but the second his hands had touched the rough fabric the voice of his mother had filled through his head reminding him to dress well for any occasion.

Eto had dressed a lot more casual. She had gone for a light colored cream shirt under dark overalls, black flats on her feet.

The door jingled at their entrance, the scent of a mostly empty cafe, save for the occasional ghoul, reaching their noses. Eto grinned and waved her hand enthusiastically at the purple haired waitress that was standing behind the counter, "Touka! It's been a while, wouldn't you say?!" The author's eyes narrowed slightly as the door closed behind her.

This was actually supposed to be posted five weeks ago, but no matter it's here now

Note: So I feel like I should make a chapter dedicated to Takizawa and how the torture went so I can go more into detail on why he acts the way he does now because it's really different compared to the Manga!

Another note: So the format obviously looks a bit different and that's only because I'm on my phone and I'm struggling at the moment


	4. An update that doesn't really make sense

So it's been a little over a year since I've gone about ignoring this story and honestly, coming back to it, I see so many writing mistakes and ways I could've made it better but that's not the point of this.

I have a few reasons why I started ignoring this story though the main one comes from me being both lazy and just needed to find my writing style and organize it a bit. Unfortunately, that took a year to do and I'm still making adjustments even now.

My second reason is the fact that I kind of fell out of line with both the anime and the manga. I haven't visited either in a year and I'm sure I've missed a lot though I don't really mind that much. I don't really like watching or reading it anymore (Plus: In my unpopular opinion, I feel like the manga could've ended much earlier.)

To be honest, my whole love for manga and anime itself kind of depleted which leaves us here with an unfinished story and plans that I never really finished.

(At this point, I've been gone this long that I doubt I even need to type this but I will for my own sake.)

I think I'm shutting this down. Though, the keyword is think. I might come back from time to time when I'm not working on other things because I really do love the idea I was writing but I don't want to keep people waiting if they really did like this series.

If I did continue though, I'd probably just dedicate a whole chapter to explaining what the hell is going on because honestly, when I read it I was confused. I'd also probably take back half of the last chapter I did and change a few things so I could start off where I think I should. I don't know.

This whole update is a mess at this point.

I don't really think this update will effect many, because it's been over a year and I'm sure most of you have moved on from this story but I'd like to just put this out here.


End file.
